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🌟 Pastoral Support Mentor
📍 The Old School House, Cadnam, Hampshire
💷 £25,000 actual salary (term time only + 1 week, paid across 12 months)
🎯 Performance bonus of up to £10,000 per year
🛡️ 3% employer pension contribution
🕒 Full-time | On-site
Join The Starfish Hub
At The Starfish Hub, we believe behaviour is communication, relationships change trajectories, and small moments matter.
We are not a behaviour system.
We are not a programme.
We are a relational alternative provision.
We support children and young people who have found it difficult to access mainstream education, many of whom present with social, emotional and mental health needs, disrupted educational experiences, and complex life stories.
Our work is grounded in The Starfish Way, a relationship-first approach to education built on:
Safety. Trust. Attunement. Regulation. Flexibility. Inclusion. Support. Humanity.
We start with relationship.
We stay curious before we are corrective.
We regulate before we reflect.
We repair when things go wrong.
We never give up on a child.
About the Role
We are seeking a calm, compassionate and reflective Pastoral Support Mentor to become a key relational adult for our pupils.
This role is not about “fixing” children; it is about standing beside them.
You will build trusting relationships with pupils, support emotional regulation, deliver structured 1:1 mentoring, and help children reconnect with learning, belonging and hope.
Working as part of our small, collaborative team, you will:
- Build safe, consistent relationships with children and young people
- Deliver 1:1 mentoring and pastoral interventions
- Support pupils in class and during small-group learning
- Use restorative and trauma-informed approaches
- Promote attendance, engagement and reintegration
- Work closely with families, schools and external professionals
- Maintain accurate records and contribute to progress reviews
- Help shape a creative, needs-led curriculum
Who We’re Looking For
You may come from education, youth work, pastoral support, SEND, social care, mental health or community settings. What matters most is your relational capacity.
You will:
- Understand that behaviour is communication
- Show warmth, steadiness and emotional maturity
- Hold clear boundaries with kindness
- Remain calm under pressure
- Communicate confidently with children, families and professionals
- Reflect on your practice and be open to growth
- Believe deeply in belonging and inclusion
Essential Requirements
- GCSE English and Maths (Grade C/4 or above)
- Experience supporting children or young people
- Strong relationship-building and communication skills
- Commitment to safeguarding and restorative practice
Desirable
- Experience in alternative provision or SEMH settings
- Thrive practitioner training
- ELSA training
- Knowledge of trauma-informed approaches
Salary & Benefits
- £25,000 per annum actual salary (not pro rata)
- Term time only plus 1 additional week (40 weeks worked)
- Paid across 12 months for financial consistency
- 3% employer pension contribution
- Performance bonus of up to £10,000 per year, linked to:
- Individual performance
- Team outcomes
- Whole-organisation success
- Ongoing training and professional development
- Reflective supervision and a supportive team culture
Safeguarding
The Starfish Hub is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people.
This role is subject to an enhanced DBS check and satisfactory references.
A Final Note
This work is relational and emotionally significant.
It requires patience, presence and the ability to stay connected when things feel difficult but it is also deeply meaningful.
If you believe that relationships matter, that belonging changes lives, and that small, consistent acts of care can alter a child’s trajectory, you may find a home with us.
One starfish at a time.
To apply, please contact: chloe@starfish-ap.co.uk
